Chinese tourists rescued from mountains in southwest Norway

OSLO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Four Chinese tourists, who had lost their way during a trip to a famous tourist site in southwest Norway, were found and rescued on late Friday night in a police-coordinated search operation which last several hours.

All the four, including a small child, were in good condition, Charles Boegild, chief operation officer in Rogaland Police District, told Xinhua over telephone.

"We are about to finish (the operation) very soon," said the police officer.

The four persons would first be taken down to the parking place, from where tourists usually start their trip to the Preikestolen, one of the major tourist attractions in Norway, and then to the nearby Stavanger city, where they stay in a hotel.

The identity and relationship of the four Chinese were not disclosed by police.

The hotel in Stavanger alerted the police at 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Friday after receiving a call from one of the four saying they could find their way back in the dark.

It was windy and cold outside in the mountain area.

The four persons were told to keep calm and warm while a rescue operation was under way, which involved the Norwegian People's Aid search teams and volunteers from the local community.

The weather condition was so bad that a Sea King helicopter had to withdraw from the operation.

Eventually, the four persons were found by rescuers at around 10 p.m.local time (2100 GMT), the Rogaland police district announced on Twitter.

Last December, a Chinese student, who studies in England, was rescued after he lost his way during a similar trip.

Two incidents like this in a bit more than two months "are too frequent," said Boegild.

It is dangerous to make a trip to the Preikestolen in such a bad weather condition and it is also a bad decision to do so as nothing could be seen up there in the wintertime when it gets dark very early in the afternoon, said the Norwegian police officer.